


Tattoo

by LandsharkEnforcementSquad



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Romance, Tattoos, espada reader, hollow reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-08-31
Packaged: 2018-04-16 09:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4620900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LandsharkEnforcementSquad/pseuds/LandsharkEnforcementSquad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“_______-sama, who is that?” Kei asked suspiciously, glaring at Ichigo while tightening his grip on you possessively. “He’s not one of us.” You gently unwrapped the redhead’s arms from your waist and ruffled his hair.<br/>“Don’t worry about him, Kei. I’m watching him on Aizen-sama’s request. Just think of him as a bit of paperwork I’ve been assigned.” While your explanation soothed your two Fracciones, it offended Ichigo.<br/>“Hey, I’m a person, not a stack of papers!” he shouted angrily. Kei stepped forward to defend you, but you stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.<br/>“Kei, Haruki, go set up a room for my paperwork.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Being an Espada had a lot of perks. Having Fracciones was one of the best. Your first was a timid little thing with blonde hair and black eyes. He was shorter and thinner than you were, and always seemed a bit intimidated by whoever he was talking to, no matter who it was. He was the most fun to mark because he blushed and shivered like a virgin the whole time. You always made sure to mark your Fracciones, to set them apart from the rest so the others would know that they were off limits. The technique was strenuous for both you and the one receiving the mark because it involved infusing their flesh with some of your spiritual pressure in expansive and intricate designs. The color was always different because the result was a color exactly in the middle of your spirit’s and theirs, yours being a deep purple. You had your own tattoos as well that spread from your waist all the way up your chest and down your right arm to the back of your hand.   
One issue you found with having power, however, was that it caused you to become idle. Much of your recent days were spent lounging in the throne-like chair you kept in your room, a cute Fraccione on your lap. You liked to pet them while you thought, and none had taken issue with it so far. There wasn’t much chance of that, however, as you always examined new Arrancar thoroughly for any issues in temperament before taking them as your own. A particularly affectionate boy was keeping you company now, occasionally rubbing his cheek on yours as he traced the design on your shoulder.  
“_______-sama,” he purred while looking up at you through dark lashes. “How long are you going to let Tetsu be number one? He’s so full of himself these days, bossing the rest of us around.” The redhead in your lap, Keiichi, pouted. “He even said that we might as well be his Fracciones, since we have to do what he says.” That struck a nerve. You were particularly possessive of the Arrancar you took in, even towards the others of the group. None of them belonged to anybody but you, regardless of their ranks. A little smirk curled on Keiichi’s pink lips when he recognized slight irritation growing in your normally passive expression.  
“Haruki.” A boy with lavender hair and golden eyes trotted over to your side from across the room.  
“Yes, ______-sama?” he replied.   
“Find Tetsu.” Your hand absentmindedly stroked through the crimson locks of the triumphant boy who shared your chair. “Tell him that if he is not here in two minutes, I will take issue.” The boy nodded and rushed off. “Keiichi.” The boy in your lap looked up at you eagerly. “While your attempts to rouse my jealousy are cute, do try to keep them at a minimum.” Tetsu didn’t seem to be the only one stepping over boundaries today.  
“I’m sorry, _______-sama,” Keiichi apologized, burying his face in your shoulder. You knew he wasn’t feeling particularly regretful, since he wasn’t the type to do anything he didn’t mean, but you let it slide since he did a pretty convincing job of faking it. A few moments later, Haruki returned with Tetsu. They had thirteen seconds to spare.  
“Keiichi, take your leave,” you dismissed the young Arrancar. “You too, Haruki.” You wanted to speak with Tetsu alone. The two Fracciones left the room, leaving you and the third in privacy. Tetsu began to approach you with the intention of climbing onto your throne with you, but you held a hand up to stop him. “I heard that you have been exercising more authority than has been granted to you,” you said with an eyebrow raised questioningly. “Would it be correct to say that, at least on one occasion, you have referred to my Fracciones as your own?” Tetsu’s eyes widened and he swallowed nervously.  
“________-sama, I promise I didn’t mean it that way! I was only joking, and Keiichi got mad,” Tetsu tried to explain himself. You didn’t say anything, only motioned for him to come closer. The blonde eagerly trotted closer thinking that he was forgiven and was being invited to sit with you. A firm hand on his left shoulder, over the mark you gave him to signify that he was your favorite, stopped him in his tracks. You pressed your thumb over the mark and closed your eyes as you withdrew the spiritual pressure you’d left there. Once the tattoo was completely gone, you removed your hand. Tetsuhiro fell to the ground in tears at your feet. With the removal of your mark, he had officially fallen out of favor, something that would take months to overcome.   
“Go somewhere to collect yourself,” you instructed him. “Send Keiichi in on your way out.” This prompted a whole new round of sobbing as the distraught boy ran from the room. You heard him mumble something nearly unintelligible to the other two as he sprinted past, but they must have gotten the idea because a bright red head poked around the door not a second later. “Sit with me, Kei,” you instructed him. He beamed at his new nickname, knowing what it meant. Your new favorite bounded across the room to settle into your lap and wrap his arms around your neck. You brushed your thumb along his collarbone and he giggled at the sensation, but his laughter was cut off by a gasp as you pressed a small circular symbol into the sensitive skin.  
“_______-sama!” he cried, hugging you. “I’m so happy that you picked me!” You allowed a small chuckle to escape your lips at his antics. The two of you sat in silence for a while before he spoke up again. “Why did you pick me?” You paused for a moment to think about it, your head tilting to one side.  
“You’re the most comfortable,” was the response you settled on.  
“What?” Kei whined. “That’s the only reason? It’s not even because you like me?” He was pouting again, which was cute.  
“Is ‘you give the best hugs’ a better answer?” you asked teasingly.  
“I guess so,” he huffed.  
“You’re really cute, too.” That caused a light blush to spread across his face and he hid his face in your shoulder again. He was also the most fun to tease, but you left that out. The atmosphere was immediately killed upon the arrival of Aizen’s number one fan, Ulquiorra. He gave you a cold look from the doorway, which you returned. “What is it?” Your voice was flat, even more so than normal.  
“Aizen-sama wants to speak with you,” he informed you. Without another word, he turned on his heel and left. You sighed, lifting Kei from your lap and standing up.  
“I’ll be back,” you told him. “Do whatever you want, but don’t bother Tetsuhiro. He’ll be wanting to be left alone for a while.” He nodded, although he looked rather gleeful about his fellow Fraccione being referred to by his full name again. “Be good, Kei.” 

“Aizen-sama, you wanted to see me?” you asked as you entered his throne room. He sat up on the dais, looking down at you from on high. His ego must have enjoyed the leverage.  
“_______, I have an assignment for you,” Aizen announced, not bothering with greetings. “We’ve managed to capture Kurosaki Ichigo, and I want you to look after him. I originally planned to give this assignment to Ulquiorra, but I decided that you would be better suited to the task since your tendency to stay in the same room all the time means you could offer twenty four hour surveillance.” That was a polite way to say you were too lazy to run off and leave him alone.  
“Very well, but if he hurts anything of mine, I’ll give him back,” you replied. Aizen only smirked.  
“You won’t have to worry about that,” he assured you. “Szayel has created a device that will keep his spiritual pressure in check. The best he will be able to accomplish right now is pushing a human child to the ground. I assume your Fracciones are stronger than a six year old?” The condescension was getting on your nerves, but you ignored it for the sake of retaining those nerves, and whatever else the Shinigami would blast off of you for talking back to him.  
“Where is he?” you asked with a carefully even tone. Aizen waved his hand and Ulquiorra stepped forward with the orange haired boy held firmly by the arm.   
“He is right here,” the Cuarta Espada said in a monotone. He threw his charge to the ground at your feet and the boy grunted in pain. You crouched down to get a better look at him. To most, his bright orange hair would have been shocking, but considering the coloring of your Fracciones, it wasn’t anything special. It wasn’t possible to tell what color his eyes were, since they were screwed tightly closed, but he had long lashes and pleasant features.  
“Get up, boy,” you commanded. His eyes flashed open in a glare and you saw that they were a warm chocolate brown. He spat a bit of blood onto the ground and pushed himself to his feet with some effort. “It looks like you’ll be belonging to me for a while. Consider yourself lucky, I treat my possessions well. Others might not be so generous.” Ichigo recoiled at the word ‘possessions’.  
“Fuck you!” he growled as he took a step back and assumed a fighting position. “I don’t belong to anybody.” You sighed. This one was not one you would have picked. You preferred the more docile types. Unfortunately, you’d already agreed to deal with this child.  
“Would you rather I gifted you to Nnoitra? I’m sure he’s been growing bored without a plaything to break into little pieces. If you cooperate, I will be kind. If not…” you trailed off and met the excited eyes of the Quinta Espada who stood at the side of the room practically begging for Ichigo to enrage you so he could have some fun. The boy followed your gaze and, upon seeing who he’d have to deal with instead of you, changed his mind. He stepped forward until he was at your side.  
“Well, are we going, then?” he demanded. You decided you might change your mind about preferring the submissive types. Taming this one could prove amusing. With one last bow – out of formality rather than respect – to Aizen, you silently lead the newest addition to your collection down the long hall and eventually out of the building, something that would have taken around fifteen minutes if you hadn’t used sonido. As it was, you reached your personal quarters in two minutes and seventeen seconds. Your home in Las Noches was a Japanese style manor that floated precisely three feet above the center of a glassy lake. It was designed with emphasis on serenity. As you approached with Ichigo in tow, a series of stepping stones rose from the lake to form a path to the front porch of the building. A small smile snuck onto your lips at the gasp of awe Ichigo gave.   
“Beautiful, is it not?” you commented, not really expecting a reply, which was just as well because you didn’t receive one. The second you slid the door open, two enthusiastic Arrancar ran to meet you. Tetsuhiro was nowhere to be seen, but you’d known it would take him a few days to come out of his room.  
“_______-sama, welcome back!” Kei greeted you as he wrapped his arms around your waist.   
“Welcome home, _______-sama,” Haruki added with a respectful bow. He was always slightly more reserved than the others, but it was endearing in its own way. It took the two of them a moment to notice the orange haired teenager behind you.  
“_______-sama, who is that?” Kei asked suspiciously, glaring at Ichigo while tightening his grip on you possessively. “He’s not one of us.” You gently unwrapped the redhead’s arms from your waist and ruffled his hair.  
“Don’t worry about him, Kei. I’m watching him on Aizen-sama’s request. Just think of him as a bit of paperwork I’ve been assigned.” While your explanation soothed your two Fracciones, it offended Ichigo.   
“Hey, I’m a person, not a stack of papers!” he shouted angrily. Kei stepped forward to defend you, but you stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.  
“Kei, Haruki, go set up a room for my paperwork.” Haruki nodded and left silently. Kei followed him, but not before he stuck his tongue out at Ichigo. Once they were gone, you turned to face him. “So, you are Kurosaki Ichigo, the human child who seems so desperate to make our job more difficult.” Rather than an answer, you received a huff and a scowl. It seemed his pride was still wounded by that paperwork comment. “Tell me, if you don’t want to be paperwork, what is it you want to be?” He doesn’t hesitate for even a moment before answering.  
“I want to be free!” You let out a small chuckle at his reply.  
“I apologize, but you’ll have to pick something else. I can’t just let you go, child. My lord would certainly have my head for such foolishness.” Ichigo opened his mouth to argue, but you cut him off. “Now, now, is it really fair of you to expect me to sacrifice my life for a human I’ve just met?” He huffed again and looked away. “Now, I’ll ask you again, if you don’t want to be paperwork then what do you want me to call you?”  
“Call me a prisoner, then,” he snapped. “That’s what I am, right?” He certainly had spark.   
“You’re Aizen’s prisoner, not mine,” was your reply. “To me, you are the same as paperwork until you provide me with an acceptable alternative.” Ichigo was clearly frustrated with the apathetic responses he’d been getting. He was used to being taken more seriously. He’d been a Ryoka, a rebel, an invader, and here you were reducing his identity to something as commonplace as ‘paperwork’. It was becoming clear to you that he couldn’t think of anything, so you figured you’d list off a few options. “If paperwork isn’t acceptable, how about pet?” The venomous glare you got was enough answer on its own. “How’s maid?” Another glare. You smiled. “Of course, your identity as a male would make you rather adverse to that title, wouldn’t it?” He blushed, but gave you a look that clearly said ‘obviously!’ “Then how do you feel about butler? That should be acceptable, yes?” He gave it some thought for a moment before nodding begrudgingly.  
“Fine. I guess butler is better than paperwork. But I’m not dressing you or helping you in the bath or anything weird!” You waved off his words with a flick of your hand.  
“Of course not, that would be far too much of an honor for a child like you.” You turned your back on him to hide the smirk you gave at his irritated growl. Toying with this boy was proving to be a worthwhile pastime. “Judging by the way you move, you would likely tear my jacket in two before you even got one of my arms into a sleeve.” You wondered if he would catch on that you were doing this on purpose. Probably not, he seemed kind of dense.  
“Hey, screw you! I could put a jacket on someone, I’m not an idiot,” he snapped.   
“Whatever you say, child.” Your response brought you exactly the reaction you were looking for.  
“I’ll prove it!” There it was. You had successfully created a need to win your approval. It was a basic psychological tactic that you used on all your Fracciones when they were new. It created the best followers. To cement that need, however, you had to deny him the means for a while.  
“No.” You shut him down without a second thought which left him more frustrated than ever. What a fun game this would be. “Come,” you instructed. “We’ve been standing in the doorway long enough.” You walked away without looking back and he rushed to catch up with you. This boy would be fun to toy with. His natural need to prove himself would work against him while he was in your care, and you could tell that he had enough of an ego that being looked down on would make him want to ‘show you what he’s capable of’.  
“Where are we going?” he asked, some irritation still lacing his voice.   
“Your room. I’m sure those two have it ready for you by now. I’ll be giving you one day to settle in before I have you start working.” You heard his steps falter before resuming their pace.  
“Start working? What are you talking about?” he asked in confusion. An amused look shot over your shoulder at him put another scowl on his face.  
“You said you wanted be a butler did you not? Were you unaware of the consequences of changing your title from paperwork to butler?” You turned your head to the front again as realization dawned on the teen’s face. “Don’t worry, child, I won’t make you live up to the title completely. I wouldn’t want to overwork your fragile body with too much cleaning.” It took even less time than you’d expected for an indignant retort to come from the boy behind you.  
“Are you saying I’m too weak to clean a house?” he demanded. You just hummed in reply. “I can clean this whole damn place without even working up a sweat! Just watch me!” He was almost too easy to manipulate. Almost, but not quite.  
“Are you sure?” was your only response, to which he gave you a vehement ‘you’re damn right I’m sure’. “Well, if you insist,” you told him, which only riled his determination to prove you ‘wrong’. He had better have hoped that his friends came to get him soon, because if they took too long, he’d be wrapped around your finger so tight they’d never get him free.

“This is where you’ll be staying,” you told him upon arriving at the room Haruki and Kei had set up. It was a decent sized room, like all the others in your house, and comfortably furnished. A large, plush looking futon was laid out in the middle of the room and in the corner was a low table with four large cushions around it. A plate of food sat on the table which you invited Ichigo to eat. “That will be the only meal we provide you. Once you assume your duties, cooking will be up to you.” He didn’t thank you, which you expected, but you’d train him out of that in due time.  
“Isn’t this a bit nice for someone who’s supposed to be your enemy?” he asked you skeptically.   
“I thought we went through this already,” you replied. “You’re Aizen’s enemy, not mine. You are not my prisoner, you are my butler. I believe I told you that I treat my servants well.” Ichigo gave you a confused look. He was obviously used to being treated like a threat. Of course, you would be doing the opposite. Breaking his expectations would throw him off his guard and make it easier to manipulate him. “You have the next twenty four hours to yourself,” you told him. “Feel free to explore, but take care to remember where your room is. If you have any questions, Kei or Haruki will answer them.” You began to walk away when you remembered one more piece of information you should give him. “Oh, if you hear someone crying don’t go in that room. Tetsuhiro his upset and should not be disturbed.” You were halfway out the door when Ichigo called out to you.  
“Wait, you’re just going to let me have free reign? Aren’t you worried I’ll escape?” A confused frown was set on his face when you turned to look at him.  
“Worried? Of course not.” Without saying anything else, you left the room. What Ichigo didn’t know was that every way out of the manor passed through your sitting room at some point, so it would be impossible for him to leave without you noticing. That, and you could change the path of any hallway from the monitor next to your favorite chair.

It was amusing watching Ichigo get more and more frustrated as he searched for a way out of the house. He came close a few times, but you always changed the hallways just before he made it out, sending him back into your sitting room. “Back again, Ichigo?” you greeted him when he walked into the room for the fourth time in two hours. He glared at you, an expression he seemed to make about 75% of the time, the other 25% being various looks of confusion. It didn’t matter, you’d see his other expressions before long.  
“I’m not trying to come here or anything,” he grumbled. “Every path I take comes right back to this damn room.” You’d noticed after the second time he’d come across you that he made sure not to look in your direction. It seemed that he was flustered by how close you were with Kei, who was straddling you lap and drawing on your left hand while the right twisted a strand of his hair around one finger. The boy was obviously a virgin. He’d probably never even held hands with a girl.  
“Why don’t you try visiting the garden,” you suggested. “You look like you could use some air.” He perked up at that, most likely thinking that he could escape from there. He couldn’t, of course, but you’d let him find that out for himself. The boy started to walk out, but paused as he realized he didn’t know where to go.  
“Um, which way is it?” he asked you, blushing and scratching one cheek. You smiled.  
“Just walk in any direction and you’ll get there,” you told him. He looked skeptical but went anyway. Once he was gone, you turned to the monitor and started rearranging the hallways to lead him to the garden. When you saw that he made it, you turned your attention back to Kei.  
“_______-sama, why are you nice to him? He insulted you! We should make him do all sorts of impossible things, like counting how many grains of sand there are in the rock garden.” You just smiled and ruffled his hair.  
“Because I’m training him,” you told him. “I want to see how long it takes to make him mine.” Kei looked at you with worry in his eyes.  
“You don’t like him better than me, do you _____-sama?” he asked. “Please don’t replace me, I promise I’ll stop causing so much trouble!” He looked to be on the brink of tears, so you pulled him into a loose embrace.  
“Don’t worry about it, Kei. He is merely a mortal child who will make an amusing game. You, Haruki, and Tetsuhiro are my precious Fracciones. I would not replace you with something as delicate as a human,” you reassured him. Yes, Ichigo was amusing, but he was only a temporary distraction. You knew that Aizen would want him for something in the near future. That was why you would have to act quickly if you wanted to win this game.

Ichigo’s twenty four hours of freedom were up, and now the game would truly begin. When it was time for him to report for duty, you’d had the hallways deposit him into your sitting room.   
“You’ve had plenty of time to get used to the manor,” you said, looking down at him from your chair. He still avoided looking at you since Haruki was perched on the arm of your chair combing his delicate fingers through your hair. Kei had run off a few hours ago to pester some of the other Espada’s Fracciones. “Look at me when I speak to you,” you commanded. He shifted his gaze to meet yours and a tinge of pink stained his cheeks. For all the blood he spilled, he was fascinatingly innocent. “Since you claim to be able to handle it, I will be giving you a full workload.” Ichigo nodded, collecting his face into a more confident expression. “Of course, if it proves too hard feel free to let me know and I’ll give you something easier to do.” That little jab only added to his determination.   
“I’ll definitely prove that I can handle anything you throw at me,” he announced. He thought he was challenging you, even though he was playing right into your hand.  
“We’ll see,” was your reply. He growled and shot you an irritated look. Beside you, Haruki was staring hard at him, a warning look that told the teenager there would be a price to pay from him if he stepped out of line. “Your task for today will be to scrub the floors,” you told him. Ichigo crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at you.  
“You’re holding back, aren’t you? I can do more than one thing in one day, you know,” he said, his ego wounded. You gave a short laugh.  
“Holding back? Not hardly. I doubt it’s even possible for a human to clean the floor of every hall and room in my manor on their own. In fact, if you don’t get it done, I won’t even punish you.”   
“Don’t even think about doubting me!” Ichigo snapped. He snatched up the bucket and cloth that sat at the foot of your chair and stormed out.  
“He’s very loud,” Haruki commented as he braided a section of your hair.  
“Yes, he is,” you agreed.

“I’m done!” Ichigo announced when he strode into the room eight hours later. Silently, you stood and motioned for him to show you his work. “How’s that for clean?” he asked proudly. The floor was definitely clean, in this particular hall at least. It was nearly glowing.  
“Impressive,” you conceded. The orange haired teen grinned at his success. “I’m afraid you’ve missed four rooms, however,” you informed him. His face fell in defeat, then turned to an expression of confusion.  
“What do you mean? How do you know I missed anything?” You knew because you’d moved a hallway to block four of the rooms from being accessed. If he won the first round, his desire to prove himself would be sated and your plan wouldn’t work. If success was something he had to try hard to achieve, he would crave it even more.  
“I was watching you,” you informed him. “I know this manor like the back of my hand and there were four rooms you never made it to.” He gave you a look of disbelief.  
“Show them to me, then,” he demanded. “Otherwise, how will I know that you’re not just messing with me?” You walked away, waving for him to follow. The two of you walked to where the rooms you hid from him were – you opened the passage back up before you left the sitting room – and you opened the door of one to reveal a noticeably less clean floor.  
“This is one of them.” Ichigo’s shoulders slumped in defeat.  
“Dammit!” he cursed.  
“Well, it’s not a big deal,” you told him, knowing full well that saying that would only make it a bigger deal to him. “I told you that I didn’t expect you to finish, and that I wouldn’t even punish you for failing.” The word ‘failing’ hit the boy especially hard. He hated that word because it reminded him of all the times he felt like he’d let everyone down.  
“The day’s not over, right?” he asked, his voice low.  
“I suppose not,” you told him. Ichigo looked up at you with a dim fire in his eyes.  
“Then I can still finish. I told you I would prove to you that I can handle this, so I’m going to.” You were winning. A smile spread across your face.  
“Where are your cleaning supplies?” you asked. Realizing he’d left them in the sitting room, he jumped, then sprinted down the hall to get them. “How cute,” you said to yourself.

“Now I’m done,” Ichigo said when he finished cleaning the remaining four rooms. “I told you I could do it.” He looked at you expectantly, his proud smile slightly hesitant as he waited for your approval. This was the part where you’d teach him to crave praise.  
“Good job,” you smiled at him, placing a hand on his head and gently ruffling the orange hair. “I’m proud of you.” The hesitancy left his smile at your words. For a moment, he was only happy. Eventually, though, he realized who he was talking to. Embarrassment flooded his features and he ducked away from your touch with a scowl on his brow.  
“W-whatever, like I care!” he grumbled. What a tsundere.  
“Go have some dinner and then get some rest,” you instructed him. “You’ve earned it.” He huffed and stalked off, irritated at himself for acting like he cared what you thought.

“What do I have to do today?” Ichigo asked petulantly. His ego was still sore from yesterday, so he was in a bad mood.  
“I have ten new rock gardens now,” you informed him. “Unfortunately, I haven’t had anyone put any patterns into the sand yet. Do you think you’re up to the task?” He glared at you.  
“Of course I am!” He crossed his arms. “Anyone can do that.” You raised an eyebrow.  
“True, anyone can rake sand, but can you make it look good? I don’t want just any sloppy, amateur job. I want to be able to enjoy looking at them.” You could see the tiniest bit of concern growing in Ichigo’s eyes over whether he’d be able to make it look good enough. “Well,” you said, reaching for a book on the table next to you, “maybe this will help.” A light toss sent the little book flying into his hands.  
“Rock Gardens for Dummies?” he asked incredulously. The word ‘Dummies’ obviously struck him the wrong way.  
“I’ll take it back if you’re prepared to go out there with absolutely no experience or instruction and try your hand at an ancient and delicate art.” With one last stormy look, the teen stomped out of the room to prove himself.

“Hmm, that’s an interesting design,” you commented as you surveyed Ichigo’s work. “Are all the other gardens the same, or did you use a different pattern for each one?” The boy scoffed.  
“Of course I used a different pattern, why would you have ten gardens if they were all going to look the same anyway?” He looked at you expectantly.   
“Then I’ll have to see the rest of them before I decide if I’m happy,” you told him.   
“Fine,” he said. “Come on, then.” You smiled and followed him. After seeing each of the gardens, you decided that you were satisfied with his work.  
“Good job, you’ve exceeded my expectations,” you praised the teen. He looked proud, but at the same time like he was still expecting something. For a moment, you weren’t really sure what he was waiting for. Thinking back to yesterday, you tried to remember what you did differently. Oh, of course. “I’m proud of you,” you add, ruffling his hair. How amusing that he’d actually enjoyed that even though he pretended to have been offended by it. He blushed and glared, but didn’t move away, so you knew you’d been right. “Well,” you said, removing your hand, “I guess you’re done for the day. Feel free to relax.” As you walked away, you noticed Ichigo following you.  
“You’re an Espada, right?” he asked.  
“That is correct,” you replied. You weren’t expecting him to want to talk to you yet.  
“What number?”  
“Seven,” you said. After a moment’s pause, you added, “I could have been three, but I didn’t want to fight Harribel for it. I would much rather stay in my manor and enjoy the company of my Fracciones than go out looking for trouble.”  
“So… you’re stronger than Ulquiorra?” You laughed.  
“Definitely. It’s why he hates me so much, he’s supposed to be my superior but he can’t order me around like the others because I could kill him if I wanted to.” Ichigo was quiet for a while before he spoke up again.  
“Why do you follow Aizen?” That was an easy one.  
“Because as long as I stay on his good side I won’t have to do anything. If he became angry with me, I would have to run or fight, which I do not want to do.”   
“What would you do if the Shinigami defeat him?”  
“I would be very put out, because they would probably destroy my manor in the process.  
“Would that be the only reason it would bother you?”  
“You’ve seen how nice my home is. Wouldn’t you be upset to lose it?” After that, you both walked in silence back to the sitting room where you sat back on your large chair. Surprisingly enough, Ichigo didn’t leave. “Was there something you wanted to ask me?” you questioned him. He jumped slightly, shaken out of his thoughts.  
“Umm, well, how come you always have those two sitting on your lap?” A blush crossed his cheeks just from saying the words. You gave a light laugh.  
“Does it bother you?” you asked. He crossed his arms and glared.  
“It’s not like I’m jealous or anything, it’s just kind of weird.” You laughed again at the defensive look on his face.  
“I never said you were jealous, Ichigo, I just asked if it bothered you.” This was an amusing revelation for you. By the way the boy was acting, it was clear that he was jealous.  
“It doesn’t bother me, I just want to know why,” he snapped.   
“Well, if it’s that important to you, I have them sit with me because it makes them happy, and because having somebody close by relaxes me.” Ichigo shifted uncomfortably and looked around the room in an attempt to avoid your gaze.  
“You said before that I shouldn’t go into a room where someone is crying,” Ichigo said to change the subject. “Why would somebody be crying?” You sighed. While you didn’t regret demoting Tetsuhiro, you still cared about him and his pain was uncomfortable for you to think about. Still, you would answer Ichigo’s question.  
“That’s Tetsuhiro. He was number one around here until a few days ago, the position Kei fills now. He made a mistake that cost him that position, and he’s still feeling the loss. I’ve instructed everyone to leave him be until he has had sufficient time to collect himself.” Ichigo thought about what you said for a moment and then returned with a follow-up question.  
“What did he do?” You looked away and twisted a lock of hair around your finger.  
“He overreached. The position got to his head and he became full of himself, treating the other two like his own servants. Possessiveness is not a trait that I am proud of, but it is one that I have. I do not share well.” You hoped that Ichigo would not become disgusted and withdraw from you. That would make capturing him so much more difficult.  
“If you don’t want them to act like that, why do you pick a favorite?” he asked. You were hesitant to answer this question, in case you revealed your hand, but you decided that Ichigo was the type who responded well to honesty.  
“It keeps them in shape. There is always the initial training period in which they become dependent on my approval, but having to compete for it prevents that training from wearing off over time.” Ichigo is quiet for a moment.  
“Have you been training me?” You had underestimated him. Denying it was always an option, but you knew he’d see through that immediately.  
“Only a little bit.” He didn’t look too surprised.  
“I knew it,” he muttered. “You’re really good, you know? You got me wanting a Hollow to like me. I must be an idiot or something.” He pushed a hand through his hair and scowled at the ground.  
“Actually, you’re smarter than I expected,” you said. “Those three still haven’t caught on and they’ve been with me for a lot longer than you have. You’ve exceeded expectations, Kurosaki Ichigo.” He looked up at you, distrust still clouding his eyes.   
“Are you seriously still trying?” he asked. You chuckled.  
“No, that would be foolish. This time I’m being completely sincere.” He still looked unsure. “Would you like to know something about Arrancar, Ichigo?” Distrust turned to confusion, an expression he seemed to wear often. “When we remove our masks, we get a little bit of our hearts back. You’ve met Nelliel, I know. I can sense her on you. She, and her Fracciones, had more heart than most. I like to think that I’ve got a little more than the average Espada. Not enough to feel much more than apathy towards those I don’t know, but still enough to care for those close to me.”   
“Where are you going with this?” Ichigo questioned. You ignored it.  
“When Aizen asked me to watch you, I told him that if you hurt anything of mine I’d have to return you. I’d like to thank you for not harming my Fracciones. I feel their pain myself because of the marks that I put on them, made from my own spiritual pressure to show that they are mine. Because of that connection, I always know when one of them is in danger. I told you that I take care of my own.”  
“Seriously, where are you going with this, ________?”   
“I just want you to know this. If you get out, I know you’ll come back to put an end to Aizen. All I ask of you is that you don’t harm those three. You can even kill me, if you want to, but don’t touch them.” You looked Ichigo in the eye to show him how serious you were.  
“Would you say the same of me to the Espada?” he asked. The question surprised you.   
“What?” It was a stupid question but it was all you could say.  
“Why were you trying to train me? Did you want me to be like them? Did you want me to hang on your every word and follow you around like a dog? Is that why you’ve been so kind, so you can trick me into caring about you and then make me your slave?” The onslaught of questions had you taken aback. These feelings were something you’d never expected from him.  
“Ichigo, I know that the way I act makes it seem that way, but I don’t think of them as slaves or dogs, or anything but simply mine. I don’t want to enslave you, or make you just like them. The way you are – scowling when you’re embarrassed and acting like you don’t care even when you do – is what makes you cute. I’ll admit that I was trying to teach you to depend on me, but that doesn’t mean I want you to change. I wanted you to be you, who just happens to like me.” All this honesty felt weird to you. Normally you would just hide your motives or distract anyone asking questions with affection.  
“Well?” Ichigo said.   
“Well what?”  
“You never answered my question.” You had to think about it for a moment before you remembered what question he meant.  
“No.” Hurt flashed in Ichigo’s eyes. He turned to leave but stopped when you continued. “If I said anything like that to them, they would only want to kill you more. They would kill you for being the enemy and for turning me to your side, and then they would kill my Fracciones so that I would lose everyone important to me before they killed me as well.” Ichigo turned to face you slowly.  
“Am I important?”   
“Very.” Those chocolate eyes flashed with surprise before determination took over.  
“Then help me get out of here.” You opened your mouth to explain why you couldn’t do that, but he cut you off. “All of you can come with me. I’ll explain the situation to my friends before you even have to show yourselves.”   
“Ichigo, what makes you think that Shinigami would accept us?”   
“They accepted Nel! They agreed to leave her alone because she helped me.” You sighed and ran a hand through your hair. What you were about to do was one of the most moronic things you had ever done.  
“Alright, Ichigo, I’ll help you. Let me round up the others and we’ll go.”

You really hoped you didn’t regret this. Your inner optimist told you that it should be okay, that you were one of the strongest in Las Noches and they’d have to send Barragan or Starrk if they actually wanted to stop you. Besides, you’d already managed to remove the collar Szayel put on Ichigo to keep his spiritual pressure in check. Needless to say, you were quite impressed with the amount of power this human possessed. Your three Fracciones, Tetsuhiro included, all stood very close to you. They were afraid of being caught – you were, too – and being near you made them feel a little safer. You didn’t miss the looks Ichigo was giving them, either. No, he wasn’t jealous at all.   
“We need to go,” you said. “Now.” Your companions nodded and you used sonido to put yourself outside the walls of Las Noches as quickly as possible, while Ichigo used shunpo to do the same. Once you were far from Aizen’s city, the group stopped. “I’m going to open a Garganta,” you told them. “Once we are in the human world, Ichigo, you must lead us to your friends.”   
“They’ll be at Urahara Shoten,” he said.  
“I’ll let us out near there, then.” You motioned for everyone to take a step back before you opened a small Garganta. Hopefully it was small enough, and far enough away, that it wouldn’t draw unwanted attention. When it was fully open, you ushered the group through. For a while, you were all walking on a path of reishi through the darkness. Eventually, though, light could be seen up ahead and then you were all stepping out into the air above Karakura.   
“Follow me,” Ichigo told you. He began running in the direction of the place where his friends would be and you did as he requested. You didn’t make it far before a group of Shinigami appeared in your path, forcing you to stop.  
“Stop right there, Espada!” a girl demanded. There were eight of them in total and three of them had captain class spiritual pressure. You were completely surrounded.  
“Ichigo, you promised we would be safe,” you hissed. “Do something about this.” The orange haired teen stepped forward with his hands out to ward off the attackers.  
“Wait, guys, it’s me!” he shouted.  
“Ichigo?!” a man with hair as red as Kei’s asked incredulously.  
“Ichigo, you’re alive!” the girl who confronted you exclaimed as she rushed forward to pull Ichigo into a tight hug. It took a lot of your self-control not to swat her away like a fly. That was your Ichigo she was touching, but you couldn’t attack the Shinigami girl or you’d be sentencing yourself and your Fracciones to death. Luckily and embarrassingly, Ichigo noticed the look in your eyes and gently pushed her away by her shoulders.  
“Yeah, and I’m uninjured, too,” he reassured everyone.  
“Who the hell are they?” A bald guy stepped forward, shooting a menacing look in your direction. “You’re an Espada, right? Give me one reason I shouldn’t cut you in half right now.” Ichigo hurriedly moved between you and the aggressive man.  
“Ikkaku, they’re friends! _______ is the one who helped me escape,” he explained.  
“_______-sama!” Kei corrected him. You placed a hand over his mouth.  
“Silence, Kei. Now is not the time.” He huffed against your hand but didn’t attempt to speak again. “Ichigo promised me that if I helped him, he would not allow you to harm me or my Fracciones. I trust him, but I do not know you. Tell me, Shinigami, do you have honor?” You gave a pointed look to the bald one, who glared at you but lowered his weapon.  
“She’s telling the truth,” Ichigo verified.  
“How do we know that?” asked a short boy with icy white hair. “She could be lying. She might have the rest of the Espada on hold, ready to come in and annihilate us.”   
“Do not question me, small one,” you said in a chilly tone. “I have risked my own life, and the lives of those I care about, to deliver your friend to you. Rather than insulting me, you should try gratitude.” The boy bristled at your mention of his height. You turned to Ichigo. “Ichigo, perhaps you should seek out more well-mannered company.”   
“________, please don’t antagonize people!” he begged you before looking to his friends. “I’m sorry, she’s just on edge. Can we go back to the shop? The rest of the Espada may have noticed our disappearance by now, and we need to get somewhere safe or they really will come in and annihilate us.” The other Shinigami reluctantly agreed.

You were quite impressed with the basement of the shop. Creating such a large space on a spiritual plane like Hueco Mundo or the Soul Society was one thing, but in the material world it was significantly more difficult. It almost reminded you of a daylight version of your home. Perhaps you would demand lodging here as compensation for your defection.  
“So, basically, she was charged with guarding you for Aizen but, over the course of the guarding, became fond of you and decided to help you escape?” a man with blonde hair hidden under a green and white hat summarized. He was the owner of Urahara Shoten.   
“You make it sound so one-sided,” you complained. “I’ll have you know that this child is fond of me in return.” Ichigo glared at you.   
“I’m not a child, ________,” he corrected you. You only smiled.  
“For one such as I, who has lived for quite a long time, you are a child. Let me know when you are seventy five and I might change my mind.” You had thought that Kei was the most fun to tease, but Ichigo had him well matched. Urahara, who was watching the exchange, smirked behind his fan. It was interesting to watch an Espada flirt with a teenage boy.  
“I’ll be an old man by then,” he whined. That gave you pause. The boy was human after all, and they didn’t live for long. Perhaps getting emotionally attached was a mistake.  
“Actually,” Urahara jumped into the conversation, “if you leave your body and live in the Soul Society you would have the same lifespan as a Shinigami.” Ichigo looked at him, surprised.  
“Seriously?” he asked. You dismissed your earlier doubt. Ichigo would live for quite some time.  
“Well, child, it seems that your worries are unfounded.” He glared at you a second time and you gave him a smile in return.

Eating dinner at the same table with Shinigami was strange, you thought. Normally, an encounter with one meant that you were each trying to kill each other, but now you were having a relatively peaceful – though tense – meal together. Kei, Tetsuhiro, and Haruki all stayed close to you throughout the evening, still unable to feel completely safe. You knew that Ichigo had wanted to sit beside you, but any space around you was occupied. The only person at the table who trusted everybody present was the orange haired teen, but even he couldn’t relax with all the tension in the atmosphere. Luckily dinner didn’t last long and everyone scattered, most of the Shinigami leaving or going upstairs and you and your Fracciones returning to the basement. Ichigo followed you after he waved off the Rukia girl who had tried to get him to come home with her. You were finding more and more reasons to dislike her, as well as a girl with hair almost as orange as Ichigo’s. Her name was Orihime, and you could tell by the way she looked at the boy that she harbored strong feelings for him. You could also tell by the way he looked at her that he didn’t feel the same way, which was a huge help to your self-control.  
“Do you live with that Rukia girl?” you asked Ichigo as you walked down the steps to the basement. He didn’t answer right away.  
“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” he said. “She lives in my closet, actually.”   
“The closet in your room?”  
“Yeah.” You felt your eye twitch slightly.  
“How lucky for her,” you commented. Ichigo flinched and fell silent. When you reached the basement, you turned to your three Fracciones. “Kei, Haruki, Tetsuhiro, go over there,” you gestured to the opposite side of the room. They looked like they wanted to protest, but then thought better of it and disappeared. “You’ve been wanting to speak with me all evening,” you said to Ichigo. He was caught off guard for a moment, but then he sat down and motioned for you to do the same. Once you were seated, he began talking.  
“_______, do you regret doing this?” he asked.  
“I regret meeting that short one, but I do not regret helping you, if that is what you are asking.” You moved closer to him and placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. “That is something I will regret only if you kill me with your own hands.” Ichigo looked horrified at that thought.  
“I wouldn’t do that!” he protested.  
“Then I will not regret my decision.” You removed your hand from his head and captured the long fingers of his right hand in a gentle grasp. A light blush crept up his cheeks and he averted his eyes. “Are you embarrassed to touch me, child?” you asked, a smirk playing on your lips. He glared and pulled his hand away.  
“Would you stop calling me that?” he snapped. You gave him a curious look.  
“Does it bother you that much?” The irritated look he shot your way answered your question. “Would you tell me why it upsets you?” you requested. He looked away again, crossing his arms.  
“I don’t want to be thought of as a child, especially by you.” The last part was muttered so quietly you wouldn’t have caught it if you were human.  
“Why does my opinion count so much on that matter?” Ichigo brought his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, still refusing to meet your gaze.  
“Because, if I am a child to you then these feelings are useless.” Understanding lit your eyes and you let out a quiet chuckle, causing the boy beside you to whip his head around and frown angrily at you. “You’re laughing at me?” he demanded, wounded.  
“I only laugh because it is such a silly worry. Have you not seen the evidence of my own feelings? If I were a lesser person, I would have killed two people tonight purely out of jealousy. That nickname is not meant to discredit you, it is merely an endearment.” You reached out to wrap an arm around Ichigo’s shoulders. “If it bothers you so much, however, I will stop saying it.” He let out a slightly grumpy huff, but leaned into your embrace. “So, my dear Ichi, it seems you have something to confess,” you said in a teasing tone.  
“So do you,” he grumbled.   
“Ah, it seems I’ve fallen for a tsundere,” you said in mock sorrow. “Will my love be unrequited?” Ichigo blushes and elbows you lightly.  
“Shut up, you know it’s not!” You clutched your side and fell over.  
“Such violence! Is this how my love will be repaid?” Normally you would be more collected, but you were determined to get the response you wanted.  
“Fine, I love you, dammit!” he shouted.  
“Oh my~” a voice floated down the stairs. “Ichigo is in love!” The two of you whipped around to see Urahara descending the steps into the basement.  
“Shop keeper,” you began, your voice low, “I am grateful for your hospitality, but if you do not leave us I will be very upset.” The blonde man holds his hands up.  
“My, my, how terrifying!” He gave you a knowing grin before turning around and walking back up the stairs. “I know when I’m not welcome, so I’ll be taking my leave.” Once he was gone, you returned your full attention to Ichigo.  
“Perhaps we should move to a location that is not directly in front of the entrance.” He agreed and you moved further into the rugged landscape. Once you found a place that felt relatively private, you stopped and sat down. “Sit with me,” you requested, motioning for him to sit on your lap.  
“Hell no,” was his immediate reply.  
“No need to be shy, Ichi,” you teased him. He just glared and sat down next to you.  
“If anybody’s going to be sitting in anyone’s lap, it’s gonna be the other way around,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.  
“How manly,” you commented. “Very well, I agree to your terms.” As you crawled into Ichigo’s lap, you took the time to admire the flustered look on his face. Once you were seated, his arms wrapped shyly around your waist and you smiled, snuggling into his chest. “I didn’t realize how comfortable this was, no wonder they like sitting with me so much.” Ichigo growled in your ear.  
“Don’t talk about anyone else right now, it pisses me off to think of anyone touching you.” You were glad to hear that Ichigo was as possessive of you as you were of him.  
“I must say that I like this side of you,” you told him.   
“Good,” was all he said before he tilted your head back and kissed you.   
“Ichigo,” you spoke when he pulled away. “Do you really want to be with someone like me?”  
“I don’t want to be with someone like you,” he replied. “I want to be with you specifically.” You hummed and traced his jawline.  
“Then…” you trailed off. “No, never mind.” Ichigo pulled back and looked you in the eye.  
“What?” You shook your head.  
“You wouldn’t like it.”  
“Why not?”   
“You would think I’m trying to make you my servant again.” Realization dawned on his face.  
“You want to put one of those tattoos on me,” he said. You looked away.  
“I already changed my mind, so don’t worry about it. I told you that you wouldn’t like it.” A hand on your chin forced you to look at him.  
“They’re made out of your own spiritual pressure, right?” he asked. You nodded. “I’m guessing that’s a pretty intimate experience.” Another nod. “Okay.”  
“Okay, what?”  
“Do it.” Your eyes darted up to his to check for any uncertainty, but found nothing but resolution.  
“Are you sure?” you asked, the uncertainty you’d been looking for in him found in your own voice. He didn’t say anything, only grabbed your hand to press it over his heart. “I have to warn you, removing this is equally as painful as creating it is pleasurable. If you change your mind, undoing this decision will come at a great cost to you.” The grip on your hand tightened.  
“I’m sure. But make it special. Something different from the others.” Your other hand, the one not confined by Ichigo’s, rose to his cheek.  
“Of course it will be special. The feelings that went into those tattoos are completely different from those I hold for you. My feelings for you are much stronger and larger. That is why the mark I put on you will be ten times more beautiful. It will likely be larger as well.” You stopped to think for a moment. “It will be impossible to cover unless you wear turtlenecks for the rest of your life. Are you okay with that?” Ichigo rolled his eyes.  
“I wasn’t going to cover it up to begin with,” he said.   
“Keep in mind that what this makes you feel will be of the same nature of the feelings you already have. Don’t get upset by thinking about someone else feeling the same thing, because nobody has. There are many kinds of love, and many different ways to feel it.”   
“So what you’re saying is that even though you also put patterns on those three, it wasn’t a sexual thing, so I shouldn’t get pissed off,” he simplified.   
“Exactly,” you confirmed with a smile.  
“So this will be?” Your smile morphed into a teasing grin.  
“Only if you already have those kinds of thoughts about me, though my own feelings do get counted in the process, so yes. It will be.” Ichigo reddened, all the way from his collarbones to the tips of his ears. “Do you still want to proceed?”  
“Of course!” he snapped, his embarrassment manifesting as anger, like it always did.  
“Then hold still,” you instructed him as you placed a hand on the center of his chest. Closing your eyes, you focused on channeling a stream of spiritual pressure to meld with his. As your souls connected, you heard Ichigo gasp, your own breath hitching in your throat. The act itself was nothing new, it was the reaction that made this so much more amazing than anything you’d ever felt before. There was a sexual component, yes, but it was so much more than that. It was something beautiful and pure and happy, things you felt so infrequently as a Hollow. Right now you didn’t feel hollow at all, you felt whole, in every sense of the word. For the first time in centuries, you were alive. Eventually, the rush of feelings decreased in intensity. The world, which had been blindingly white for what felt like hours, became visible by increments. Suddenly exhausted, you collapsed onto Ichigo’s chest and just listened to his heart beating as you attempted to smooth out the wavelengths of your spiritual pressure. Your Fracciones would understand the burst of energy that had occurred, but the Shinigami above you were unaccustomed to your ways. Sure enough, the sound of five pairs of feet running towards you reached your ears.   
“What happened?” Urahara demanded when he arrived.  
“What did you do to Ichigo?” the redheaded Shinigami, Renji, shouted.  
“Go away,” Ichigo muttered, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you closer. “We’re busy.” For a moment, everyone was confused, but then they began to understand the situation. Renji was the last to figure it out, only getting it when he was quickly ushered away by Urahara’s large employee.  
“So sorry to intrude,” the shopkeeper apologized as he withdrew.   
“There really is no such thing as privacy when you’re in someone else’s home, is there?” you complained. Ichigo only grunted and wrapped his legs around you too. You sat in silence with your orange haired lover for a few minutes before he finally spoke up.  
“Did I just lose my virginity?” You burst out laughing at the question. Ichigo glared up at you.  
“I apologize for laughing, but that was truly hilarious.” You ran a soothing hand through his hair and the glare softened, if only a little. “The answer to your question is not quite. While the feeling is similar, that was a spiritual experience. Virginity is a physical thing.” Ichigo huffed. “Don’t worry Ichi, we’ll get rid of it quite soon, I assure you.” His face flushed for the hundredth time that day, but he seemed placated. When you tried to pull away, you found that you were trapped in his arms, which he stubbornly refused to loosen. “Ichi, let go for a moment,” you said.  
“No.”   
“Don’t you want to see the results?” you asked. That earned you a reluctant sigh as he slowly unwound his arms from your waist. You pushed back from his chest and slid off his lap to sit in front of him. “Take off your shirt,” you said. He hesitated for a second, but complied. The outcome was even more amazing than you’d expected. While the patterns on your Fracciones only extended from their shoulders to their wrists on one side, the tattoos on Ichigo’s body spread all the way from the tips of his fingers on the right to the tips of his fingers on the left, extending up his neck to his jawline, around to his back, and down to his feet.   
“I’m never going to be able to get a job,” Ichigo said. You laughed.   
“Don’t worry about that, Ichi. Only those who have high enough spiritual pressure to see Shinigami and Hollows will be able to see these.” You stopped talking to return to admiring Ichigo. The color of the tattoos was somewhere between pink and red, the kind of color you can spend hours arguing over but never reach a conclusion on which it was.  
“Hey, yours changed too,” Ichigo exclaimed. You looked down. He was right – the design on your skin, which was originally purple, had turned to the same color as Ichigo’s. It had expanded as well, extending as far in every direction as your lover’s. You also noticed that your hollow hole, which was normally on your right side, just above and to the left of your hip bone, was gone. In its place was a lovely little swirl of red-pink. A hand darted up to your neck where your mask sat like a choker made of bone. The moment your fingers made contact with it, the only remaining mark of your being a hollow disintegrated.   
“Ichi…” you looked up at him in awe. “I’m not a hollow.”


	2. Chapter 2

If you had learned anything from your time living with Aizen in Las Noches, it was that the sadistic Shinigami was the type of person to seek retribution. Any act that went against his will would be punished swiftly and severely, which was why you weren’t at all surprised to hear that he’d had Ulquiorra kidnap Orihime. In all honesty, you felt that it was good riddance to a girl who had a terrible habit of looking at your Ichi as if he were hers. Unfortunately, Ichigo cared about the girl – as a friend, you made sure – so you were obligated to assist in her rescue.  
“Ichi, because I love you I will do my best to do things that will make you happy,” you told him as you waited for the Shinigami to prepare themselves for battle. “However, if you allow that girl to touch you more than she should, which is hardly at all, I will return her without hesitation.” Ichigo gave you a frustrated look.  
“_______, you know she’s going to hug me. It’s the natural human response to seeing someone you trust after you’ve been captured.” He’d tried to explain this to you before but, even though you were technically no longer a hollow, the concept of it being natural for someone besides you to touch him just didn’t seem like something you should accept.  
“That may be, but it is also my natural response to eliminate the competition.” This response elicited an eye roll from your vibrant lover, who pulled you into a side hug and sighed into your hair.  
“There is no competition,” he informed you. When he put it that way, you knew you’d run out of arguments. Well, you obviously hadn’t really run out, but you felt that it was unnecessary to voice any more of them.  
“Fine, but keep it short.” This whole irrational jealousy thing was starting to irritate you. Normally, you could decide who could and could not do what, and when. Leaving the Espada had meant leaving your power behind with the title. You’d tried ordering the Shinigami around, but they hadn’t taken to it well. In Las Noches, it was a known rule that nobody was to touch anything or anyone you didn’t want touched, but here anybody could do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted to do it. There were no understood boundaries except for the ones placed on you. You should have stayed evil. If you were still a hollow, you would have had your way with Ichigo by now. As it was, with your damned heart fully intact, you knew that you should wait until he wasn’t worrying about his friend. “If we return from this suicide mission, I am going to cover every centimeter of your skin with my marks,” you told him. A shocked, but also very excited, look sent your way made the corners of your mouth pull up in satisfaction.  
“_______, don’t say stuff like that where someone might hear!” he protested, glaring from embarrassment. You let out a single amused laugh before running a teasing finger down his spine.  
“Such things would only matter to me if I cared what they thought of it,” you replied smoothly.  
“Well I care,” he shot back.  
“Very well,” you conceded. “Since I care about you, and you care about this, I will be considerate of your feelings.” One of your hands found its way to Ichigo’s hair and you pulled him down into a slow but passionate kiss. “But only once you stop being so cute,” you said once you separated from him. He frowned and crossed his arms, looking around to make sure nobody had seen or heard anything.  
“Seriously, if you keep this up those guys will never let me hear the end of it,” he complained.  
“That’s right!” a boisterous voice called out from the base of the stairs.   
“Shut up, Renji,” Ichigo snapped. The redhead only laughed at his friend’s embarrassment.   
“Are the others on their way yet,” you paused for a moment before adding, “Renji,” to the end of the sentence. Ichigo had complained about you calling everyone ‘Shinigami’, so you were making an effort to use names. It was difficult, since you found it rather distasteful to be so familiar with these people. Old habits were hard to overcome, and just because you regained you heart didn’t mean you would suddenly start being all sunshine and rainbowdust. Unlike Ichigo’s shirt, you did not have an abundance of ‘good vibes’.  
“Yeah,” Renji replied. “They should be down any second.” Any minute would have been more accurate, since it took seven of them before the rest of the rescue party was in the basement and ready to storm the castle.  
“Alright,” Urahara spoke up, catching everyone’s attention. “I’ll be staying here to keep an eye on things. Normally, I’d have some sort of machine to open up a doorway to Hueco Mundo, but since ______ is here that won’t be necessary. ______, if you would do the honors?” The shopkeeper motioned for you to open a Garganta. It was the same kind of gesture you used to direct your Fracciones, so it rubbed you entirely the wrong way, but you grudgingly complied without argument. Now was not the time for pride to get in the way. This time, you had to create a larger opening to accommodate the larger group. It was lucky that the disappearance of your hole and mask didn’t mean that you’d lost any of your powers. If anything, they were stronger. You could probably take Barragan’s place as second if you weren’t on Las Noches’ most wanted list.  
“Where are the three Arrancar that usually stick so close to you?” Rukia asked you before anybody stepped into the darkness.  
“I have instructed them to remain here,” you told her. “This battle will be more than they can handle. The other Espada will be our opponents and those three are untrained in combat. I will not see them put into such a situation.” Your explanation left no room for disagreement. Nothing more was said as the group entered the Garganta. Everyone needed to focus on keeping the reishi solidified beneath their feet, Ichigo especially. He didn’t know that, however, because you did it for him. Once everyone had their feet on the white tile of your sitting room, you quickly closed the Garganta.  
“Isn’t it dangerous to come in this way?” Ichigo asked.  
“Yes, but it would be dangerous no matter where we came from,” you replied. “This way, we are already inside Las Noches, so we do not have to figure out how to sneak in, nor do we have to fight our way in. Aizen will have given the task of looking after the human to Ulquiorra, so she will likely be near his quarters.” Ichigo looked apprehensive at the mention of the short, emotionless Espada.  
“When Yammy first brought me here,” he said, “I managed to escape from him. I was hiding in the dessert for a while – that’s where I met Nel – but Ulquiorra found me. He brought me back to Las Noches without even trying.” The orange haired teen clenched his fists as he remembered his crushing defeat. “If she’s with him, getting her back is gonna be tough.” You only smiled and patted him on the shoulder. He looked at you in confusion but you waved it off.  
“Ichi, don’t you remember what I told you?”  
“What?” he asked. Everyone else had the same question in their eyes.  
“I could have been number three,” you reminded him. “Now that I’m whole again, I’m bumping myself up to two. It will be no great effort for me to retrieve that child. If I’m being completely honest, I would have preferred not to have brought such a large group, seeing as numbers compromise efficiency, but I knew that none of you would have agreed to let me do this without supervision.” The tattoo ridden redhead seemed to take offence to your explanation.  
“Are you saying we’re unnecessary?” he demanded.  
“No, I’m saying you’re inconvenient,” you responded without hesitation.  
“You…” Renji looked ready to punch you, but Ichigo stepped in between the two of you.  
“Renji, calm down,” he said. “We don’t have time to fight each other. And ______, please stop antagonizing people!” You frowned.  
“I’m not being antagonistic, I’m being truthful.” Renji was ready to hit you again and had to be held back by Ichigo, who gave you a pleading look. “Do you want to rescue this girl or not?” The Shinigami reluctantly stopped trying to lunge at you, settling for sending you baleful glares over Ichigo’s shoulder. “Very well.” You looked away from Renji to address the rest of the group. “Stay very close while we are here. Do not wander off, do not explore, and do not get separated from the group. If you see something, tell me, and I’ll tell you whether it’s important or not. If we are attacked and an enemy escapes, do not pursue them. At no point will splitting up be an option, so don’t suggest it. You are to remain silent at all times unless you are telling me that you have seen something suspicious. If you make any unnecessary noise, you are endangering the lives of everyone in this group. Do we have an understanding?” You looked at everyone individually, not moving your eyes from theirs until they agreed to your conditions. “Follow me,” you ordered. It felt quite pleasant to be in a position of authority again.

The group managed to arrive in Ulquiorra’s quarters unscathed. You ran in to a couple of Fracciones on the way, but you eliminated them before they were even aware of your presence. How unfortunate for them that they were so weak. So far, everyone had done a decent job of complying with your rules. Even Renji. Now that you were getting close, you could sense the girl’s reiatsu. She was sad, afraid, and hungry. Good. You continued moving in the direction over her energy, everyone else following closely behind you, until you arrived in front of a door. The door she was behind was specially designed to only allow entrance to qualified individuals, which you were definitely not. Motioning for everyone to move away, you took a step back and fired a Bala at the door. Since the door was constructed from reishi rather than actual material, there wasn’t any dust or debris. The reishi that made up the door was completely deconstructed and scattered through the atmosphere.   
“Who’s there?” the girl called out timidly. Everyone immediately broke ranks and ran past you, shoving through the door to see their friend. You stepped into the room.  
“There will be time for rejoicing later,” you told them. “Now is the time to leave this place.” Just as you were finally relaxing, you sensed the presence of an Espada level spiritual pressure. “Silence yourselves!” you whispered harshly. The one you sensed was Ulquiorra. While you could no doubt defeat him, you didn’t particularly want to fight him, either. A fight between two Espada would gain the attention of all of Las Noches. It wasn’t even a question that he had sensed your presence.   
“________,” a monotone voice addressed you.  
“Ulquiorra,” you replied.  
“What is wrong with your spiritual pressure? It feels different. Where are your hole and mask?” That had not been the question you were expecting, but now that you thought about it, it was one that someone like him would undoubtedly ask.  
“Well, you see, I’m no longer a hollow,” you told him. “I seem to have acquired a heart, so the hole was no longer necessary. The same goes for the mask. Now, if you would excuse us…” without warning, you fired off a Caja Negación that hit the Cuarta Espada directly in the center of his chest. If he weren’t so expressionless, he would have looked quite shocked before he disappeared.  
“What was that?” Ichigo demanded.   
“Caja Negación,” you told him. “It traps the target in a closed dimension. If it’s used on a low level Arrancar, they are trapped forever. Ulquiorra is powerful enough that he should be out within the hour, so I suggest that we evacuate before he returns.” The rest of the group agreed enthusiastically. As you opened a Garganta to take you back to the world of the living, you appreciated the brevity of your mission. To think that without you they would have tried to start from the outside and work their way in, past all the weird traps Szayel set up, past the former Espada that just waited around to take out their inferiority complexes on unsuspecting people, and past the current Espada as well. That would have taken quite some time. Due to the interference field around Urahara Shoten, you were unable to exit directly into the basement, instead stepping out of the darkness into an empty lot two blocks away from your destination. From there, you used Sonido to expedite your arrival. Those you left behind had to quickly move into Shunpo to catch up. When you were at last in the safety of the shop, you allowed yourself to relax. The others, who arrived a few seconds after you did, all sat down on the floor to catch their breath.  
“Ichigo!” The ginger girl’s joyful cry caught your attention and you looked towards her just in time to see her fling herself on your Ichi. “I knew you would come for me,” she cried, burying her face in his shoulder. As you promised Ichigo, you did not interfere, though the longer their embrace lasted the more you were compelled to do just that.   
“Orihime, shouldn’t you thank everyone else, too?” Ichigo asked as he pushed her back gently. “It wasn’t just me who came to get you, after all.” Orihime – you’d forgotten her name until Ichigo said it – jumped up and bowed apologetically.  
“Oh my gosh, you’re right! I’m sorry everyone, thank you for coming to get me,” she shouted at the top of her lungs.  
“Well, now that we’re done with that,” you said, walking over to Ichigo and pulling him to his feet, “Ichi, we have business to attend.” All the men in the room whistled which caused a furious blush, and a furious glare, to spread across the teen’s face. The Quincy was the only one who didn’t participate. He only pushed his glasses further up his nose while adopting a scandalized expression.   
“Wait,” Orihime called out. Impatience was rapidly growing inside of you, and if this girl got in your way, you would be very put out.  
“What?” you asked icily.  
“Are you and Ichigo…?” she trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.  
“Lovers?” you completed it for her. She gave a small nod. “Yes,” you confirmed. “And now, I’m going to take him somewhere more secluded so that I can have my way with him.”  
“_______!” Ichigo protested.   
“What is it, Ichi? Do you not want to?” you teased. Orihime looked devastated, but that wasn’t your problem. Besides, she was the kind of girl a lot of guys would fall for. She wouldn’t be single much longer anyway.  
“You know what it is,” Ichigo continued to argue with you. “Why do you always do this?” You flashed him a knowing grin.  
“Shouldn’t you know by now?” you asked, refusing to answer his question.  
“Probably, but I don’t.” A sigh escaped your lips and you shook your head in mock disappointment. Ichigo never got the chance to figure it out for himself though, because Renji shouted out the answer from across the room.  
“It’s so everyone knows you’re hers, you dumbass!” the redhead informed him.  
“Correct!” you confirmed. “Now come.” Ichigo didn’t have time to respond before you pulled him from the room and into one of the empty bedrooms. Pushing him down onto the futon that was spread out in the middle of the floor, you straddled his hips and caught his eyes in a heated gaze. “Any more protests before we get started, Ichi?” you asked him. He silently shook his head, eyes wide and locked on yours. You ran a teasing hand up his chest and watched as his face slowly heated up. “Do you remember our promise?”   
“Yes.” His response was breathy and came out as a half moan. Leaning down until your chest was flat against his, you placed a light kiss on the soft skin of his neck before allowing your tongue to dart out and taste him. You did the same thing in a line from the base of Ichigo’s throat to his ear where you gently bit down on the shell.  
“I’m going to dye every inch of your skin in the color of our love,” you whispered. Ichigo exhaled sharply when you connected your lips to a clear patch of skin on his neck and allowed a small amount of reiatsu to flow through them. Little swirls of red-pink spread out from the spot to form a design that was about two inches in diameter. The feeling that came with the mark was similar to what the large tattoos brought, only less intense. When you’d finished admiring your work, you moved to press your lips against your lover’s. Ichigo’s arms moved to encircle your back while your hands worked your way into his hair. You gave his lower lip a gentle bite and he opened his mouth, allowing your tongue to push through his parted lips and tangle with his own. On a whim, you passed some of your reiatsu to Ichigo’s tongue, chuckling quietly into his mouth when the muscle jumped at the unexpected sensation.  
“_______,” the orange haired teen gasped when you pulled back to allow him to breathe.   
“Ichi,” you whispered. A content sigh escaped you as you traced Ichigo’s lips, then his jawline. Slowly, your hands moved from his face, down his chest, to the hemline of his shirt where you pulled the fabric back from his well-toned stomach and up over his head. After you tossed the cloth aside, you let your hands run along the smooth expanse of newly exposed skin. Ichigo lay beneath you, watching as you explored the contours of his body, too embarrassed to try anything on his own. You smiled at his hesitation and reached out to catch his hands in your own, then guided them to your hips. “No need to be shy, Ichi,” you reassured him. “Anything you do will make me happy, so just do whatever you want.”  
“Alright,” he responded. He seemed to think about what he wanted for a moment before his arms wrapped around you and he rolled the two of you over so that your positions were reversed. Brown eyes slowly roamed your face and stopped on your lips. The distance between you was quickly closed as Ichigo pulled you into another kiss. You brought your arms up to encircle his back, lightly dragging your fingers down his spine. He shivered and deepened the kiss. When he pulled away, he stared down at you, an expression of concentration plastered on his face.  
“What is it, Ichi?”   
“I love you,” he answered, in the most serious tone possible. You couldn’t help laughing, thinking he sounded like he was sentencing you to prison than declaring his affection.  
“I love you, too.”


End file.
